Never been happier getting rid of any audio device, any device for that matter, as i've been getting rid of my Kann Alpha. A&K products produce nice sound quality but the interface is archaic, the ux is ridiculous, the ui is so small and sluggish that it's an exercise in frustration.
The cumbersome app install, the lack of decent file transfer options on mac, the extreme heat when using as a dac, the unnecessary design with edges that will cut your skin.... The puny software updates that barely address user frustrations...
Has anyone actually felt joy using an A&K interface? - this is genuine question, not at all meant to be ironic.
Phew, so relieved to never have to use A&K again!
This is an interesting take. As a first-time A&K user, I was expecting a lot more. The sound is fantastic if you like properly powered reference sound. (I do)
I do admire what they accomplished with the power and sound, but the rest of the experience is problematic. I echo your thoughts on the UI and interface.
Never had the Tidal problems or other main issues discussed in the thread. Though USB audio never worked as seamlessly as other lower-tier products I own did.
Strange design choices for MQS menu lists - not being able to view by album is a baffling omission.
My current issue: I started using bluetooth devices and with the A&K case on, range is sometimes less then my wired headphones! It is by a degree of magnitude worse than my phone.
It's serviceable with the case off. I can't even carry the Alpha with case on in my back pocket and use SBC connected devices - not stable. For the record, I used many devices to test this with multiple codecs.
Oddly, I don't think I'll get rid of it. It is a wired music DAP first, and this it does spectacularly. Especially with DSD and 24/96 but also excellent with streaming - if you can get it playing/connected. It really is sonically brilliant.
With another brands popular DAP at half the price I was shocked at how functional it was, sound was not on the same tier, but everything worked and audio was still quite good. So perhaps my expectations were off when I bought the Alpha.
Expectations and connectivity issues aside. When I'm listening on this wired, I am lost in sonic bliss. Problem is, I paid for the other features too. I'm having a hard time reconciling this.
I have been thinking of these things since I got the Alpha, your comment inspired me to write it down for any use it may be.
Edit: I did actually have an iRiver H120 way back in early 2000's so I guess I'm not technically a first time user, but it has been almost 20 years!
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